I am proud and honoured to be running alongside such a fine candidate as Professor Severus Snape, a man for whom I feel the highest respect, admiration and gratitude, not just for the vital role he played in bringing down Lord Voldemort, but for the protection he gave to the Hogwarts students during his time as Headmaster, shielding them, my own daughter included, from the sadistic and brutal punishments of the Carrows.

I am sure many of you are wondering why I have chosen to stand alongside Professor Snape. As a young woman, after I finished Hogwarts, I hoped to pursue a career in the Ministry of Magic, but Fate intervened. With the impetuosity of young love I eloped with Arthur Weasley and put my career aspirations on hold while I raised our seven children. During the First Voldemort War none of my children was yet of Hogwarts age, but I was deeply affected by the war. My two brothers, Gideon and Fabian, were members of the Order of the Phoenix, and they were killed. I never forgot that tragedy. When Voldemort began to gain power once again, all of my children were already at school, and I knew I must join the Order and Dumbledore to help stop Voldemort from terrorizing the Wizarding World once again. Now that our children are grown up and starting families of their own, I am eager to fulfill my youthful hopes of a career of government service, and I am delighted that I can put my knowledge and experience to use in such a fulfilling role.

Professor Snape will, in my opinion, be an exceptional Minister of Magic. Not only is he a very knowledgeable and highly skilled wizard, but he is in the unique position of actually having been a Death Eater. Now I would like to say that I was a shocked as the next witch when Harry Potter revealed that Severus Snape had indeed been secretly working for Albus Dumbledore. I had my own personal reasons for thinking that Severus Snape was a loyal Death Eater, but there is no doubt now that Severus Snape dedicated his life to protecting Harry Potter.

Like many of us, Severus made mistakes in his youth, but few of us ever have to pay such a high price for our mistakes as Severus Snape did for his. The knowledge of his own responsibility for the death of a loved one has shaped Severus into the modest and humble man he is today. He is a man who was prepared to give up not just his life, but his honour, his reputation and the esteem of his colleagues.

Severus is not a man to do things by halves, and he will undoubtedly show the same dedication and commitment to his role as Minister for Magic as he did to the protection of Harry Potter and the defeat of Lord Voldemort. We have won the war, now we must establish peace - a lasting peace in which all magical people can feel safe and secure. To my mind there is only one man who can achieve this and that man is Severus Snape; a man who knows what motivates a youth to join a group such as the Death Eaters; a man who is familiar with the prejudice of Muggle against Magical people, as well as the prejudice of witches and Wizards against muggles and muggleborns. Severus Snape has seen the very worst that wizarding kind can do, and as such he is uniquely positioned to address the problems that the wizarding world face and prevent the rise of another Dark Lord.

I believe that Snape's life experiences give him the ability to be a great Minister. I feel my experiences as a wife, mother and Order member can help him as well.